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Ruling sought in Arkansas abortion ban lawsuit

LITTLE ROCK — Attorneys for two Little Rock abortion providers are asking a federal judge to strike down a new Arkansas law that bans most abortions 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed their request for summary judgment on Friday.

They're also asking U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright to issue a permanent injunction that prevents the law from being enforced. Wright already granted a temporary injunction while the lawsuit is pending.

Arkansas' Republican-led Legislature enacted the 12-week ban in March when it overrode a veto from Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe.

Beebe and others say the ban violates the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion until a fetus could viably survive outside the womb.